(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to an apparatus and method for preparing a pharmaceutical for transient application. In particular, the present invention pertains to a tray having a sealed compartment, a vial of a single dose of an ophthalmic formulation of mitomycin-C, a diluent carrier containing sterilized water, and a syringe that are all contained together in a single package. The component parts of the apparatus are used together to reconstitute the contents of the vial with the water in the diluent carrier, and then draw the reconstituted drug into the sealed compartment of the tray by a suction force produced by the syringe. In the tray compartment, the reconstituted drug is absorbed in an array of absorbent pads. The tray is opened to remove the pad and absorbed drug from the tray compartment and for use of the pad in transient application of the drug.
(2) Description of the Related Art
Certain drugs that provide beneficial results when used to treat human diseases are dangerous to handle. An example of this type of drug is mitomycin-C. Mitomycin-C is primarily used as an anti-neoplastic agent in treating certain types of cancer. It has also been used in ophthalmology as a pterygium treatment and a glaucoma treatment. However, mitomycin-C is a chemotherapeutic agent and produces a toxic affect on cells. The drug is very dangerous, and chemotherapy precautions are used in the handling of the drug. What's more, once the drug is prepared, it is highly unstable, having a brief and finite shelf life. This makes it very difficult to use the drug in ophthalmologic procedures.